Welcome to the Charitable Measurement Initiative!

The Charitable Measurement Initiative is a collaboration of people and organizations that are deeply committed to the belief that social change organizations can mobilize significant new and better investment if they are able to implement a measurement reporting framework that credibly communicates their real impact to donors. The Initiative is directed by GiveIndia and calls on the resources of pilot program partners Keystone Accountability, Global Giving, and New Philanthropy Capital, as well as many other organizations committed to social welfare.

The process began when we decided to combine our previous experiences in humanitarian and charitable work with our current work as corporate lawyers. We sought to find a group in India that was looking to incorporate capital markets/securities concepts in reporting and analysis to create more valuable and transparent information.

Thankfully, we were put in touch with GiveIndia. Give discussed the idea of running a pilot program implementing the Keystone framework developed by Keystone Accountability to see if we could help organizations more clearly articulate the outcomes they wanted and better communicate their actual results to donors. This was exactly what we were hoping to do and gladly agreed to donate a year of time to making this work.

While we were in London, Give put us in touch with Keystone Accountability and New Philanthropy Capital. After many meetings throughout the spring and summer, we arrived at our joint creation – the Charitable Measurement Initiative – and a plan as to how we would seek to help NGOs in India become more transparent, responsive, and efficient, as well as help donors become more engaged and involved.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Keystone's Study of Social Marketplaces

Our friends ate Keystone have just published a remarkable study of social market places that is available at: www. keystoneaccountability.org/node/159.

It tracks and examines the growth of online philanthropic marketplaces and their potential to create an informational basis for results-oriented giving and encouraging greater accountability.  The study finds that while there is great potential and the marketplaces are doing remarkable work, there is still a need for clear criteria to determine effectiveness and impact.

It's a long read but worth reading through during train rides.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Franziska Zeiner's Blog on Indian NGOs

Our friend and co-worker Franziska Zeiner is creating a photo-blog capturing many NGOs in India.  There are great photos and excellent commentary.  If you are interested in finding out about Indian organizations that could use some support, this is a great reference.

http://clicksonngos.blogspot.com

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Interview with Fay Twersky

http://www.alliancemagazine.org/online/html/aonov07a.html

Here is a link to a Fay Twersky interview from November 2007. It discusses some key issues related to impact measurement. Ms. Twersky is Director of Impact Planning and Improvement at the Gates Foundation and has great insight on the topic.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Allowing for Growing Pains

Some preliminary feedback on our reports suggests that we may need to make two forms of reports, one for HNIs and one for corporate donors. The HNI reports need to be shorter and more anecdotal. The corporate reports need to be closer to financial disclosures.

We have generally leaned toward the corporate model, shying away from photos and anecdotes because we don’t want to encourage that type of behavior. Also, it is difficult to verify such stories unless we actually listen and make a record of those stories. It would be great if we could, but given our resource limitations, we are trying to figure how to “humanize” our reports without having to reply on the NGOs for their stories because we can not be 100% certain that they are correct.

One of the dangers in measuring the effectiveness is that it might dissuade the innovativeness of the projects funders are prepared to support. Measures if not tailored correctly will be overly harsh on new groups as they test out new interventions and approaches to solving problems. If this is calculated without some leniency for such innovativeness these organizations will look worse and donors may shy away from them.

Thus, measurement standards must strike the right balance between innovation and effectiveness. This means that means that measurement frameworks, especially in the beginning of an organization’s life, must to be tailored to allow for innovation. As a organization grows and matures, more stringent measurement criteria can be applied.

The key point is that a “one-size-fits-all” approach will not work.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Tailoring Reports for Different Donors

Some preliminary feedback on our reports suggests that we may need to make two forms of reports, one for HNIs and one for corporate donors. The HNI reports need to be shorter and more anecdotal. The corporate reports need to be closer to financial disclosures.

We have generally leaned toward the corporate model, shying away from photos and anecdotes because we don’t want to encourage that type of behavior. Also, it is difficult to verify such stories unless we actually listen and make a record of those stories. It would be great if we could, but given our resource limitations, we are trying to figure how to “humanize” our reports without having to reply on the NGOs for their stories because we can not be 100% certain that they are correct.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Good idea but maybe think about what people actually need?

I was on Facebook today when a pop up add came up with a picture of a young Indian girl and said "24 Hour Famine". So I googled it and it turns out that World Vision is asking people to get sponsored "to go go without for 24 hours, so that someone else doesn’t have to." The idea is to raise funds and awareness for a new project they are doing for street children in Chennai.

While I applaud their efforts -- which are laudable -- it is proper nutrition rather than starvation that is an issue in India. I point this story out only as an example of what we have seen with foreign organizations in India. They often intervene with the best of intentions but with preconceived notions of what should be done. And those preconceptions often are incorrect and therefore lead the organization astray.

This is why it is not only important to consult with experts but also with stakeholders and beneficiaries. They will give you a better picture of the problem and correct misconceptions.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

NY Times Article on Education Highlights Major Issues

Here is a NY Times article on education in India. It points out some of the issues we have seen in India: (1) mistrust of public education; (2) consumer driven culture; (3) increase in the cost of living; (4) lack of attention to the rural problems; and (5) middle class resentment of helping the poor.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/world/asia/06school.html?_r=1&oref=